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Finding a boat can take you a lot of time. Mostly boat-hitchers try hanging out at the harbor for a week, talking to almost anyone, possibly finding a pub where sailors tend to drink their beer. Another way people often get rides on boats in the [[Bay Area|San Francisco]] area is to go to the pier with some beers and offer them to folks who look like they are heading out.
Be prepared to change your schedules and plans accordingly. Boat Unlike with cars, boat rides are not happening every day, and - it can take from a couple of days and days to reach your destination, unlike with carsa couple of months to find a boat. The weather can be unpredictable, and so can the length of the voyage. All these things together mean that you can't really plan on arriving at place X at time Y. Time takes a different shape and form on the seas.
The best way of encountering a suitable ride is to visit popular marinas and anchorages that outbound captains frequent. They are probably there for overnighting, waiting for suitable weather and winds, provisioning or repairing. They might be short of crew because of some force majeure (people change their plans and get seasick and so on...) - this means that they could actually ''need'' your hand on board.
Be helpful and interested in their trade. Even if you do not have any experience in sailing, be honest with the fact and state that you are eager to learn. Show respect towards their skills, their boat and the seas and the elements of nature. Learn about sailing, the races, the seasons and major routes. Be willing to help for works needed before the departure, like cleaning the hull.
Be assured that once you hit the marinas everything will be pretty obvious. You will meet other boat hitchhikers and they will share their information with you. Basically you'll be putting up notices offering your help, pacing the docks approaching people cleaning their yachts, trying to make contact with sailors in the bar etc. Try to talk to as many people as possible. After a while everyone will know you and will give you hints as to which boat is looking for someone.
There are lots of good captains out there, with good intentions. But there are lots of different "classes" of captains out there, lots of different boats for different purposes. So how do you find the good captains out from the hasty, less benign ones? Well, start by analyzing how well they care for their crew. Or their boat. How prudent they are about security. What kind of personal imbalance they might be experiencing based on their insistence on getting certain types of crew (like young, good-looking females).
Read some very useful information from the skipperscaptains' point of view [http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/20142011/0803/hitch-hiking-across-the-atlantic-pt2/ here]. Don't let it get you pessimistic though: boat hitchhiking might take some effort and a long time, but it's definitely doable and amazing. It's generally a win-win situation for captains (needing crew) and hitchhikers (needing to travel). For hitchhikers the hitchhiker though, it allows you to have all the excitement of sailing, without all the pains of owning a boat.
===Prerequisites===
*'''Experience''': Experience in sailing is not necessary -although a huge plus in getting a quicker lift-, but participating in duties and life on board of course is obligatory!
*'''Tolerance to seasickness''': Most people get motionsick on a boat, but the body gets used to it after a couple of hours or days. A few find out they can't just take it. It's important that you find out how you deal with seasickness (and eventually find your own tricks to cope with it), and let the captain know it.
*'''Some money''': These days many yachts will ask you to chip in for your food. Many boats ask 10 or €15 on food per day. The Atlantic crossing takes between 15 to 25 days, depending on boat and winds, so you'll need around 150 to €300 for the crossing alone -count on at least a week in the marina till you find your lift, too. It is possible to get an entirely free lift food included, mostly on bigger yachts where you'll be needed to scrub the deck and polish the silver railing. During the ARC regatta you can even expect boats ask as much as €50 per day since inscription fees are pretty high.
*'''Things you'll needSome stuff''': Head torche. Waterproofs and good shoes are recommended although they are very expensive and if you don’t have them you can wait -the boat you get might provide them and only if not you'll have to acquire them. The Canary Islands are cheaper when compared with mainland Europe and in Gibraltar for example apparantly there are sailor’s “jumble sales” so you might pay less.*'''Getting started''': Be assured that once you hit the marinas everything will be pretty obvious. You will meet other boat hitchhikers and they will share their information with you. Basically you'll be putting up notices offering your help, pacing the docks approaching people cleaning their yachts, trying to make contact with sailors in the bar etc. Try to talk to as many people as possible. After a while everyone will know you and will give you hints as to which boat is looking for someone.
*'''Language''': Obviously all foreign languages can help, but for the Atlantic crossing speaking at least some French can make a huge difference, since over 60 % of sailors on this route are French-speakers
